Scottish Parliament

Written Answers

Tuesday 26 October 1999

Scottish Executive

Community Care

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-1120 by Iain Gray on 14 September, whether it will provide details of its plans for the establishment of a Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care, in particular as regards the financing, management and staffing of the new organisation and any implications which its establishment will have for the staff of the organisations currently involved in the registration and inspection of residential and nursing homes.

Iain Gray: We are currently working up the details of implementing the proposals for a Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care. A seminar with a wide range of interested parties was held on 24 September, and a consultation paper is to be issued in November.

  Some resources will transfer from local authorities and health boards to the Commission, reflecting the shift of responsibilities. While there will be some provision for central funding of the start up costs of the Commission, the aim is for the cost of regulation to be largely paid for by regulated care providers.

  Some staff currently employed by local authorities and health boards are likely to transfer to this new body. Any such transfer will take account of the principles of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 (as amended)(TUPE). We are preparing a newsletter in consultation with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities to keep staff informed.

Community Care

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients are currently in hospital awaiting local authority provided community care packages in each health board area.

Iain Gray: A pilot exercise to assess the reasons for delayed discharges from NHS care has not yet produced the comprehensive detail required to provide the information requested. Work involving the key agencies is continuing to develop information systems that will provide the necessary detail.

  On the basis of information currently available for 13 of the 15 health board areas, in the 35,524* average available staffed beds in Scotland, there are 2,015 patients whose discharge has been delayed, for a variety of possible reasons, by more than the two days referred to in the pilot definition.

  (* Source ISD Scotland, 1998-99 provisional figures-excluding joint user and contractual beds)

Defence

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken to make the case for the retention of RAF Buchan, to whom the case was put and when it was made.

Henry McLeish: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the Ministry of Defence on a wide range of issues including the consultation on the future of RAF Buchan.

Education

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the procedure is for ensuring that every pupil with special needs receives the necessary level of assessment and what does this assessment entail.

Mr Sam Galbraith: SOEID Circular 4/96 provides information and advice to local authorities on the assessment and recording process for children with special educational needs. A copy is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe).

Education

Dennis Canavan (Falkirk West): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will appoint a practising class-room teacher to the Committee of Inquiry into Teachers’ Pay and Conditions of Service.

Mr Sam Galbraith: Following the decision to appoint Campbell Christie the composition of the Committee of Inquiry into professional conditions of service for teachers is now complete. However, I understand that the Committee will make itself fully aware of the views of classroom teachers in a series of school visits and by extending a general invitation to the teaching profession and other interested parties to submit written evidence.

Environment

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will express its view on the request by the Royal Navy at Coulport to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to transport nuclear waste associated with Trident, including materials which have absorbed tritium.

Sarah Boyack: The application by the Ministry of Defence for a letter of agreement to dispose of radioactive waste from Coulport is currently being considered by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. I expect to be consulted on the terms of any letter of agreement proposed. The transport of radioactive material, however, is a reserved matter, the responsibility for which rests with the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions.

Finance

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-960 by Mr Jack McConnell on 2 September, whether it will give details of the capital costs and a breakdown of the £650,000 per annum running costs for the Scottish Executive European Union office and whether it will specify from which vote this funding will be allocated, in each year from the office’s establishment onwards.

Mr Jack McConnell: The budget for the Scottish Executive EU Office comes from the Administration Vote 6 and a detailed breakdown of the budget is given below. The initial capital costs are included in the "Fit out of Brussels Office" budget line. All other budget lines are running costs.

  


Category 


Budget (£s) 
  




Staff costs, including expected 
  salaries, rent and relocation expenses 
  

307,673 
  



Fit out of Brussels Office 
(see PQ S1W-01208 for detailed 
  breakdown) 
  

136,000 
  



Office accommodation costs 
  

77,500 
  



Travel & Subsistence  
  

20,250 
  



Promotion and visits including 
  Scotland Week  
  

13,000 
  



Telecoms, IT Support & high 
  speed links 
  

20,010 
  



Training 
  

9,500 
  



Books, periodicals & subscriptions 
  

16,000 
  



Office material, machines, library 
  and car hire 
  

31,000 
  



Bank charges 
  

1,000 
  



Total 
  

631,933 
  



  This budget was based on best estimates for the first year of operation of the office. The budget will be kept under review throughout the year, as operational costs become clearer.

Finance

Euan Robson (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive to list the bodies and office holders, as defined in section 21 (2) of the Public Finance and Accountability Bill, which have an annual expenditure of more than £250,000 and derive less than half their income from public funds.

Mr Jack McConnell: Of the bodies defined in section 21(2)(a) of the Public Finance and Accountability (Scotland) Bill, only the Scottish Qualifications Authority has expenditure of over £250,000 but derives less than 50% of its income from public funds. It will, however, be subject to value for money examination by the Auditor General for Scotland by virtue of its accounts being sent to the Auditor General for audit.

  Since section 21(2)(b) potentially includes any body, including those who receive no income from public funds, it is not possible to list the affected bodies.

Finance

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will describe in detail the ways in which (a) Scottish Enterprise (b) the Glasgow Development Agency (c) the British Waterways Board and (d) Historic Scotland are accountable to the Scottish Parliament for the decisions which they make and the way in which they spend public money and what steps it will take to make these bodies more accountable to the Parliament.

Mr Jack McConnell: The bodies concerned are already accountable to Parliament, as described below.

  Scottish Enterprise

  Scottish Enterprise is a Non-Departmental Public Body established by the Enterprise and New Towns (Scotland) Act 1990. It reports to the Scottish Parliament through Scottish Ministers.

  Glasgow Development Agency

  The Glasgow Development Agency (GDA) is one of the 13 local enterprise companies within the Scottish Enterprise area which are contracted to deliver the major part of the projects, programmes and services funded by Scottish Enterprise. The GDA is principally accountable to the Scottish Parliament through Scottish Enterprise. The GDA’s accountability to Scottish Enterprise is defined and controlled by an Operating Contract.

  British Waterways Board

  British Waterways Board is specified as a cross-border public authority under the Scotland Act 1998. Section 88 of that Act has the effect that UK Ministers must consult Scottish Ministers before making any appointment to the Board and about any functions which might affect Scotland otherwise than wholly in relation to reserved matters. Any report relating to British Waterways Board which is laid before the Houses of Parliament requires to be laid before the Scottish Parliament.

  Historic Scotland

  Historic Scotland is an Executive Agency of the Scottish Executive Education Department and is directly responsible to Scottish Ministers who in turn are accountable to the Scottish Parliament. Arrangements for the management system of Agencies in general was set out in the written answer to a previous Scottish Parliament Question S1W-696 and is contained in the Written Answers for Wednesday 28 July 1999.

Finance

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what impact its expenditure plans, as announced by the Minister for Finance on 6 October 1999, will have on the rural affairs expenditure as set out in the previous budget forecasts in Serving Scotland’s Needs.

Mr Jack McConnell: The new plans add £1.5/0.5/1 million to those set out in Serving Scotland’s Needs for the three years beginning 1999-2000. The allocation of this expenditure will be detailed in a report to the Finance Committee, as will any changes to departmental spending plans within previously published totals.

Fisheries

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what impact its expenditure plans, as announced by the Minister for Finance on 6 October 1999, will have on fisheries expenditure.

Mr John Home Robertson: There are no changes to the fisheries spending plans as announced in Serving Scotland’s Needs (Command Paper No 4215), the last departmental report of the Scottish Office. The additional £9 million previously announced to help salmon farmers cope with the problems caused by infectious salmon anæmia will be disbursed through Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

Food Labelling

Alex Johnstone (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to use its powers under the Food Safety Act (1990) to require that meat products on sale in Scotland be clearly labelled with their country of origin.

Ross Finnie: Meat products are defined in EC law and the labelling requirements are largely harmonised at EC level. These requirements are implemented in Scotland by the Food Labelling Regulations 1996. They require that the particulars of country of origin or provenance be provided on a label if failure to give such particulars might mislead the purchaser to a material degree as to the true origin or provenance of the food. There are currently no proposals to amend these Regulations.

Health

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what research has been carried out on the health implications of mobile telephone masts in Scotland.

Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive adopts a precautionary principle where hazards and the risks of these being realised are concerned.

  The Scottish Executive takes advice on this from the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB), which is, in turn, advised by its Advisory Group on Non-ionising Radiation, chaired by Sir Richard Doll. NRPB staff are in continuing contact with similar bodies worldwide.

  The NRPB's advice indicates that the field strength of signals from mobile telephone masts at places to which the public have access are much below recommended guideline levels and should present no hazard to health. The Board's advice is based on its own research throughout the UK and on assessments, by its Advisory Group On Non-Ionising Radiation, of biological and epidemiological work world-wide.

  The Board has recently been asked to set up an independent expert group to assess the extent of knowledge relevant to possible effects on health associated with the use of mobile phones and telephone communication masts. The group will be chaired by Sir William Stewart FRS FRSE. Its detailed membership and terms of reference have already been announced.

Health

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to S1W-1022 by Susan Deacon on 10 September 1999, what bodies and groups, including patients’ groups, were consulted by it or the National Services Division prior to September 1999 regarding the future of paediatric cardiac services in Scotland.

Susan Deacon: My answer to Question S1W-1022 explained the work which had been undertaken by the Health Boards concerned and National Services Division as well as the thorough process of consultation which the Chief Executive of the NHS in Scotland and the Chief Medical Officer carried out at my request. In addition, I met senior representatives of both Trusts before reaching my decision. I was therefore able to draw on a wide range of authoritative advice before making my decision.

  The bodies whose views were canvassed by National Services Division as part of their work included providers of paediatric cardiac surgery services and voluntary bodies with a particular interest in the issue.

Homelessness

Mr John McAllion (Dundee East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what recent discussions it has had with homelessness groups in particular regarding protection for the homeless within the context of stock transfers by councils to alternative landlords.

Jackie Baillie: The Homelessness Task Force has identified the implications of stock transfers for the homeless as a matter for early consideration. Its recommendations will be included in the Task Force’s first report in the New Year, in time for the inclusion of any legislative changes which may be required in next year’s Housing Bill. The Task Force, which I chair, includes representatives of Shelter, the Scottish Council for the Single Homeless and The Big Issue Scotland. Wendy Alexander and I also often have discussions with homelessness groups, their workers and clients, in the course of visits and engagements.

Housing

Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many Registered Social Landlords there were in Scotland on 31 March 1999.

Ms Wendy Alexander: 197.

Housing

Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many Registered Social Landlords have a governing body with 50% or more tenant members, how many have less than 50% tenant membership, and how many have no tenant membership.

Ms Wendy Alexander: At 31 March 1999, 98 Registered Social Landlords had more than 50% of tenants on their governing body; 65 had under 50% of tenants on their governing body, and 29 had no tenant membership on their governing body. Information was not available in respect of five Registered Social Landlords.

Housing

Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what is the average number of people on a Registered Social Landlord’s governing body.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The average (mean) number of people serving on governing bodies of Registered Social Landlords in Scotland is 12.

Justice

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-1350 by Lord Hardie on 17 September, whether the statutory defence afforded by section 3(2) of the Statutory Instruments Act 1946 is available to defendants in cases brought under statutory instruments which have been classified as "local non-prints" and are listed in the Register of Statutory Instruments for the year concerned as such.

Lord Hardie: Section 3(1) of the Statutory Instruments Act 1946 provides inter alia " Regulations made for the purposes of this Act shall make provision for the publication by Her Majesty’s Stationery Office of lists showing the date upon which every statutory instrument printed and sold  by the Queen’s printer was first issued:"

  Section 3(2) of the Act provides that "In any proceedings for an offence consisting of a contravention of any such statutory instrument, it shall be a defence to prove that the instrument had not been issued by Her Majesty’s Stationery Office at the date of the alleged contravention unless it is proved that at that date reasonable steps had been taken for the purpose of bringing the purport of the instrument to the notice of the public, or of persons likely to be affected by it, or the person charged."

  The limited defence set out in section 3(2) of the Act therefore applies only to statutory instruments printed or sold in terms of subsection (1).

Population

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to publish an updated forecast of population trends in Scotland over the next thirty years.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Registrar General intends to publish later this year 1998-based population projections for Scotland, by age and sex for the period in question. Sub-national projections, consistent with these national projections, for Scotland’s administrative areas are planned for publication early in 2000.

Race Relations

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what meetings it has had with the Home Office to discuss the implications for Scotland of proposed changes to the Race Relations Act 1976.

Jackie Baillie: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the United Kingdom government on a wide range of issues including the proposed changes to the Race Relations Act 1976.

Rural Affairs

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to impose a discretionary regime in respect of the granting of organic conversion aid for 1999-2000.

Ross Finnie: No. We have recently announced increased rates of aid and all eligible applications for 1999-2000 will be funded.

Shipping

Ian Welsh (Ayr) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what encouragement it can offer towards the development and expansion of Scottish ports.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive takes full account of the importance of ports as part of Scotland’s transport system and in providing trading links.

  A Ports Policy Paper is being prepared, following consultation with the industry, to provide a framework for the further development of ports in Scotland within the Executive’s integrated transport policies.

Social Work

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail for each of the last five years the level of funding available under section 10 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Funding has been provided as follows:

  


1995-96 
  

£7,214,576 
  



1996-97 
  

£7,599,394 
  



1997-98 
  

£8,594,881 
  



1998-99 
  

£7,950,973 
  



1999-2000 
  

£8,545,442 
  



  In addition, in 1996-97 payments totalling £3.5 million were made from a Transitional Fund set up to provide assistance to local voluntary organisations as one-off financial support to take account of the effects of local government reorganisation in Scotland.

  In 1998-99 £0.8 million was paid in addition to voluntary organisations to compensate for late decisions on ESF Objective 3 Grants.

Sport

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the funding and future operation of the Scottish Football Museum has been made secure by the rescue package on offer to Hampden Football Stadium.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The £4.4 million package represents the amount required to pay outstanding debts to the main contractor, McAlpines, and to complete essential works so that the stadium can operate fully to generate the maximum possible revenue. The National Museum of Football is a separate project and is the responsibility of the Scottish Football Museum Trust which remains committed to ensuring completion of the works.

Sport

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the operation of Hampden Football Stadium is now financially and managerially secure.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The £4.4 million rescue package recently announced means that the future for Hampden Park now looks much more secure. The Scottish Executive is contributing £2 million, the Millenium Commission £1.2 million, the Glasgow Development Agency and  sportscotland £500,000 each and the City of Glasgow £200,000. The package is subject to assurances as to the future management of the project and a viable business plan for the stadium. I shall make a fuller statement to the Parliament in due course.

Sport

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish interim and full reports from the consultants employed by the co-funders of Hampden Football Stadium’s redevelopment.

Mr Sam Galbraith: No. The consultants’ reports contain commercially sensitive material. It would not be appropriate to publish them.

Sport

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much is being paid by each of the co-funders to the rescue package on offer to Hampden Football Stadium, and to provide details of any conditions relating to the current or future operational arrangements which have been attached to the rescue package.

Mr Sam Galbraith: I refer the Member to S1W-1960

Transport

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will outline its strategy to facilitate improvements in rail infrastructure in non-urban areas.

Sarah Boyack: Within the overall framework of the Partnership Agreement, The Scottish Executive will seek to ensure the provision of suitable transport infrastructure and services to rural and island communities in order to sustain and develop their social and economic well-being.

Transport

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to re-open the railway station at Laurencekirk and resume commuter services to and from Aberdeen and Dundee.

Sarah Boyack: I understand that ScotRail and Railtrack are at present with Aberdeenshire Council, considering the operational and financial implications of having the Aberdeen-Glasgow/Edinburgh services stop at Laurencekirk. I await the results with interest.

Transport

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of the Scottish workforce travels to work by private car, broken down by travel to work area.

Sarah Boyack: Scottish Household Survey results show that, for Scotland as a whole, in the first half of this year, a car or a van was the usual main method of travel to work for about 65% of the people surveyed who travelled to a place of work. Information for individual travel to work areas is not available.

Transport

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will lodge in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre details of the technical specification of the equipment to be used in the M8 pilot project on road charging.

Sarah Boyack: The invitation to tender, when issued, will specify the Department’s requirements in this research. It will be for the tenderers to provide, test and modify equipment to meet the requirements. A key output of the research is a suite of technical specifications for road user charging systems for use in a wide variety of traffic and road conditions.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Staff

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer how many people are employed by the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body for the purpose of conducting research on behalf of individual MSPs and Parliamentary committees; of these, how many are employed exclusively for this purpose and what proportion of each researcher’s time is allocated to providing support for (a) Parliamentary committees and (b) individual MSPs.

Sir David Steel: Nine researchers are employed in the Information Centre. Their primary purpose is to provide timely, appropriate and non-partisan research support to the Parliament. Research is provided to three main client groups: committees, MSPs in general and individual MSPs (and their staff). Each researcher’s job description recommends that their time is allocated as follows: 35% for committees; 30% for research outputs for MSPs in general, and 20% for individual MSPs’ requests. The remainder of their time is reserved for other duties in support of their research work and of the work of the Information Centre as a whole.

  The Conveners’ Group has recently endorsed a proposal for managing the external research budget for committees. This includes an additional research specialist to co-ordinate and take forward committees’ external research requests. This new member of staff will spend the majority of their time on committee research.